Drawing with Pencil: Baby Elephant

Follow along with Mr. Deron, but following these basic steps:

1. Find and re-create the basic shapes of the image (the main shape of this elephant is its body, which is circular). We want to start with only drawing the contours (edges) of the elephant

2. Divide those bigger shapes into the smaller shapes that make up the elephants more detailed features. For example, once the basic shape of the elephant’s head (mostly circular, but also a little squarish) is drawn, we can then add in the eye shapes (leaf-like), the ear shapes (triangular) and the trunk shape (curvy).

3. Add in details including shading. Pencils are pressure sensitive, so the harder you press, the darker your mark. Conversely, the lighter you press, the lighter your mark. This image has a full range of darks and lights. A good strategy is to start lighter and find the darkest areas of the image. Little by little, lay in the lighter grays and darken the darker areas as needed.

4. Add in background. If you have time, add in some background. The legs of the elephant disappear into the tall grass, so that has to be added in, too. Don’t forget to add in darks and lights in your background as well.